Press release from Asheville Fire Department:
As the temperatures of summer rise, the concern around child vehicular heatstroke rises as well. Children dying from heatstroke in cars have increased in recent years and these tragedies are completely preventable. The Asheville Fire Department will be setting up a hot car display on July 4th from 9:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m. at the Asheville Outlets to bring awareness to the risk of child vehicular heatstroke and to educate parents and caregivers of steps they can take each and every time they drive.
The City of Asheville’s Mayor Esther Manheimer supports the U.S. Mayors’ Initiative to End Child Vehicular Heatstroke. “Tragically, children dying from heatstroke in cars, either because they were left or became trapped, has increased in recent years. As Mayor, I encourage everyone to be aware and understand the seriousness of the dangers of vehicular heatstroke,” states Mayor Manheimer.
AFD is joining forces with Safe Kids Worldwide, Safe Kids NC, the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to support the U.S. Mayors’ initiative to End Child Vehicular Heatstroke.
“It doesn’t need to be an extremely hot day for heat stroke to happen,” says Fire Chief Scott Burnette. “A child’s body temperature increases 3-5 times faster than that of an adult. We need to bring this awareness to our community to help prevent such a tragedy from occurring.”
In the majority of cases, children were unknowingly forgotten following changes within their families’ routines or schedules. To learn more about the simple steps parents and caregivers can take to prevent child vehicular heatstroke visit NHTSA’s website at https://www.nhtsa.gov/child-safety/help-prevent-hot-car-deaths.
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